DVD Workshop Direct MPEG and washed out

[DorianDW]

I'm working with a trial version of DVD WS. It worked fine capturing to AVI then converting to MPEG, but when I tried to capture direct to MPEG and burn it, it spent about 1 1/2 hours just doing nothing saying it was "converting video and audio" with the progress bar not moving.

I thought if I captured direct to MPEG I wouldn't have to convert for so long?? I entered the same settings I used to capture when I burnt it. Also, the final video, when played on my standalone, looked blocky and smudgy when there was any movement. I captured using CBR, could this have something to do with it, or does direct MPEG always look like that?

One last question, I noticed that the colour on the DVD video looked a little more washed out (no matter how I captured it or what bit rate I used) compared to when I was using Pinnacle Studio 7 and Express. Is there a way to fix this?

Dorian

[Specialist]

I'm working with a trial version of DVD WS. It worked fine capturing to AVI then converting to MPEG, but when I tried to capture direct to MPEG

For the highest quality, it's generally better to employ the following work flow if you are capturing from a DV camcorder using an OHCI compliant IEEE 1394 controller card:

1. Capture to DV .avi file format;

2. Edit in a video editor such as Ulead VideoStudio or Ulead MediaStudio Pro;

3. Convert the edited DV .avi file to DVD-ready MPEG-2;

4. Author in Ulead DVD Workshop using project settings that match the attributes of the MPEG source file.

This method preserves the greatest quality because the DV .avi file format is simply a digital 'copy' of the information recorded by the camcorder to tape.

No re-compression occurs with this method EXCEPT where one inserts titles, transitions, and filters.

(Thanks to Ulead Smart Render technology.)

If one chooses to capture and edit in MPEG-2 format, there will be more compression applied.

Why?

1. ...because MPEG-2 compression is applied to the video when it is captured;

2. ...because MPEG-2 compression is again applied to the video where titles, transitions, and filters are added during editing.

With Mini DV, a 5:1 compression ratio is applied by the camcorder itself when it records to tape.

After that, the data on the tape does not undergo any further compression when 'captured' via IEEE 1394 to one's hard drive.

In addition, when titles, transitions, and filters are added - and a DV codec is applied to render them - less compression is applied using the DV codec than would otherwise be the case when using MPEG-2.

Suggestion:

1. capture DV .avi files with the following attributes:

NTSC drop frame (29.97 fps)
Microsoft AVI files
24 Bits, 720 x 480, 29.97 fps
Field Order A
DV Video Encoder -- type 1
DV Audio -- NTSC, 48.000 kHz, 16 Bit, Stereo

2. Edit;

3. Encode the final project to NTSC DVD MPEG-2 with the following attributes:

NTSC drop frame (29.97 fps)
MPEG files
24 Bits, 720 x 480, 29.97 fps
Field Order A
(DVD-NTSC), 4:3
Video data rate: 8000 kbps (CONSTANT)
LPCM Audio, 48 KHz, Stereo

When you edit the DV .avi material, make sure your video editor PROJECT SETTINGS are precisely adjusted to MATCH.

Likewise, when you author your MPEG-2, make certain you adjust your authoring application project settings to precisely match the attributes of your MPEG-2.

If you do decide to capture and edit in MPEG-2 format, please be aware that this places greater strain on your computer's processor because the processor is capturing via OHCI compliant IEEE 1394 *and* transcoding the incoming DV .avi data to MPEG-2 on the fly.

When working with a DV camcorder, I often use the following MPEG-2 capture settings:

NTSC drop frame (29.97 fps)
MPEG files
24 Bits, 720 x 480, 29.97 fps
Field Order A
(DVD-NTSC), 4:3
Video data rate: 8000 kbps (constant)
LPCM Audio, 48 KHz, Stereo

But again - direct capture to MPEG-2 requires a very powerful processor to work well.

Jerry Jones
http://www.jonesgroup.net